Anthony Bourdain in Jerusalem

Anthony Bourdain travels to Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza Sunday on "Parts Unknown"

The CNN host crossed between Israeli-controlled and Palestinian-controlled lands

Bourdain also explored the rich history, food and culture of the region

Season 2 of "Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown" premieres Sunday, September 15 at 9 p.m. ET with the host and crew making their first trip to Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.

(CNN) -- "It's easily the most contentious piece of real estate in the world, and there's no hope -- none -- of ever talking about it without pissing somebody, if not everybody, off."

So says Anthony Bourdain about the magnificent, contentious lands of Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.

The host and crew of CNN's "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown" traveled to this divided land for the Season 2 premiere on September 15 (9pm ET/PT).

No doubt the political situation is often tense between all the peoples living in these areas, as Bourdain can simply see by crossing between Israeli-controlled and Palestinian-controlled lands.

Exploring Jerusalem's old city

Bourdain has traditional Palestinian meal

Even when Bourdain concentrates on the rich history, food and culture of the region, spending time with Muslim and Jewish chefs, home cooks and cookbook authors, the answers are debated over and over. Where does falafel come from? Who makes the best hummus? And a non-food question: Is it a fence or a wall?

"The question of food appropriation or who owns the food is massive here," says Jerusalem-born chef Yotam Ottolenghi, now a London restaurateur and co-author of the cookbook, "Jerusalem." Ottolenghi escorts Bourdain through distinct neighborhoods of Jerusalem, taking him to a typical falafel stand. "It can go on forever here."

"Gaza Kitchen" cookbook author Laila El-Haddad takes him on a hunt for a watermelon salad made just 30 minutes outside Gaza City, also showing him the three distinct cuisines of Gaza City, its villages and the seafood of the coast.

Just outside of Jerusalem in the Judean Hills, he sits at Majda, a restaurant run by a husband and wife team who are a mixed-faith couple. Michal, the chef, is Jewish and Israeli; Yaakov, who grows much of the food, is Palestinian and Muslim. They cook him a meal from their shared food traditions. And it's vegetarian.

The same land, often the same ingredients, cooking for family and friends, welcoming Bourdain to the table. Is it fanciful to think that these struggling peoples, "locked in such an intimate of deadly embrace, might somehow, someday figure out how to live with each other?" he asks.